UNIVERSITY PARK — Just a week ago, Penn State wrestlers found themselves in a state of wrestling purgatory of sorts. As quickly as their season had started, it went idle.
With no matches on their docket for two weeks after the dual against Minnesota on Nov. 20, Penn State wrestlers grew hungry, more eager each day to return to the mat as a team, which they eventually did against Lehigh on Friday.
Apply the same situation to the West Virginia Mountaineers (2-0) who visit Rec Hall today at 2 p.m. Now, add this to the equation: West Virginia hasn’t beaten Penn State in nearly a decade. In that span, the Mountaineers have lost five straight, the last three duals complete clobberings at the hands of the Nittany Lions, and have been outscored 148-52.
For these reasons, Penn State coach Cael Sanderson knows his No. 5 Nittany Lions can’t underestimate the Mountaineers.
Shortly after Penn State defeated Lehigh 24-12 Friday, Sanderson admitted, he hadn’t had a chance to review the Mountaineers’ prospective lineup and the nuances.
“I’m not a big scouting guy, but Coach Cody (Sanderson) and Casey (Cunningham) do more of that,” Sanderson said. “We just want to get out guys to wrestle aggressive and do the things that we want them to do to win, that’s control the tie-up and control the center of the mat and baseline defense, all of those fun things. If we can take care of buisiness like that, it doesn’t really matter.”
Junior Bryan Pearsall, who made his dual-meet debut Friday wtih a win over Lehigh’s Jim Carucci at 141 pounds, is preparing for a familiar foe.
Last season, Pearsall lost the lone bout to the Mountaineers, a 10-5 decision to then West Virginia freshman Nathan Pannesi. Penn State won last year’s dual, 40-3.
“I know personally the guy i’m wrestling,” Pearsall said. “We had a close match that I came up short in. I have footage on the kid that I’m probably going to review and just try to be prepared.”
Since then, Pannesi has begun to add to his resume as one of the most dangerous wrestlers in the West Virginia lineup. He compiles a 24-8 record last season and secured a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Pannesi will enter Rec Hall as the nation’s No. 19 141-pounder.
Pannesi isn’t the only name preceeded by numerals in the Mountaineers’ lineup.
Senior Matt Ryan, No. 17 at 184 pounds, should give Penn State’s No. 5 Quentin Wright a chance to break out of a current dual-meet funk. Wright has lost his last two dual-meet bouts, but won the Nittany Lion Open last weekend. On Friday, Wright fell behind early to No. 1 Robert Hamlin, the man Wright beat for the NCAA title in March, and lost to the Lehigh wrestler, 8-3.
Sanderson is the first person to quell any doubts anyone may have about Wright, shrugging his recent dual losses off, attributing them to numerous factors. The Penn State coach said he sees no lack of trying or motivation on Wright’s part.
“He’ll be sharper, mentally,” Sanderson said. “You saw that (Friday) he was a little bit off. But that will come.”
Notes:Morgan McIntosh, ranked No. 10 at 197 pounds, will likely be a match-time decision whether or not he wrestles today. He is dealing with an unspecified injury Sanderson described as a day-to-day ailment. McIntosh was held out of the Lehigh dual for precautionary reasons. ... McIntosh would likely be replaced by junior Justin Ortega.
